How To Dance Through Time, Volume I

The Romance of Mid-19th Century Couple Dances

The first volume of How To Dance Through Time leads beginners through the five ballroom dances that were the touchstones of mid-1800s society. Learn couple dances like the Waltz, Galop, Polka, Schottische, and Polka Mazurka; each segment is entertaining and straightforward.Follow along with the instructions, and you’ll quickly learn the steps and positions of these basic romantic dances.How to Dance Through Time, Volume I gives clear and repeated “how to” instructions to teach viewers the five dances that were essential for anyone attending a mid-19th century ball. These dances drew couples closer together as they spun through Waltzes or chassed down the room in a Galop (Gallop). For the first time, dance partners held each other in a face-to-face embrace as they turned and swirled around the ballroom.Most people who buy this DVD also buy the Companion CD.

With 40 years of experience teaching and performing dance, Carol Téten provides context and gives simple instructions to dance beginners. Professional dancers demonstrate, following her lead.DVD run-time: 35 minutes

*DVDs are approved for classroom/institutional use, iTunes downloads are for private use only.

This is a solid introduction to the ‘easy’ dances and a much appreciated effort to preserve those ballroom glory days. Video LibrarianRead more reviews

PROGRAM DETAILS:

As with all videos in the How to Dance Through Time series, the dances in Volume I are introduced with a concise, historical overview and illustrated with authentic photographs and drawings. The steps were carefully researched from period manuscripts and are accurate representations of historical dance. Close up and slow motion views make learning the moves simple and fun.

Dance historian and choreographer Carol Téten is an engaging presence in the series, providing historical context and calling out dance instructions as professional dancers demonstrate. Following each instructional section, dancers from the Dance Through Time company perform with authentic music and fashions of the era.

Reviews

This is a solid introduction to the ‘easy’ dances and a much appreciated effort to preserve those ballroom glory days. Video Librarian

These instructional videos will be invaluable to choreographers who create dances for period films or for cotillions and charity balls. They preserve the art form and provide the story of the cultural phenomenon, thus making a perfect addition to dance, design, and anthropological libraries. Dance on Camera Journal

As close to a trip back to the mid-century as most dance enthusiasts are likely to get. Billboard

Provides an intriguing glimpse into the social world of the era. Each dance is preceded by a historical overview, with original lithographs from the period and entertaining commentary by Téten. We learn, for example, that the art of turning reflected elements of the Industrial Revolution, such as the ‘spinning Jenny,’ and that the Mazurka was a dance of majesty, unreservedness, and allurement. Adequately primed for the tension and intrigue of the 19th-century ballroom, the student is then carefully guided through the basic steps. This well produced and entertaining video is highly recommended. Library Journal

The Waltz, Polka, Schottische, Galop, and Mazurka–your students may have heard or even played examples of these forms, but can they dance to them? A recent video, How to Dance Through Time, Volume I -The Romance of Mid-19th Century Couple Dances, can show them all the steps. This historically accurate introduction to these varied dances draws on period manuscripts and music composed specifically for dancing by Chopin, Liszt, and their contemporaries. Teacher’s Market